Courtney Hildebrand joined The Local Restaurant’s catering team as Catering Director in the spring of 2013, helping build the off-site department of the award-winning restaurant. As a native to Charlottesville, Virginia, Courtney has strong ties to the community and great relationships within the industry. After attending the University of Virginia, she joined the Event Company as an event coordinator and worked as a private wedding planner for several years. In addition to serving as the Day of Coordinator for many of her brides, Courtney also is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of wedding and event management. With an inherent love for all things weddings, coupled with a calm demeanor and drive for perfection, Courtney is a great fit for our catering department. In her spare time she loves to travel and venture out on sunny days to one of Charlottesville’s beautiful vineyards with her mini schnauzer Parker by her side.

Helen Osinga, Catering Director

Helen joined the Local's catering department in the summer of 2013 working both in the restaurant and serving as an invaluable team captain on off-site events. Starting as a full-time event coordinator and Day of Coordinator in the fall of 2014, Helen's upbeat personality has been a great addition to our catering team. Helen received her BA in Business and Communication from Lynchburg College where she gained experience working events. Her vast understanding of the food and beverage industry and overall enthusiasm makes Helen an asset to our clients. In her free time, Helen enjoys crafting and working on her garden.

Emily Holter, Sales Manager

Emily joined the catering team in early 2017 after serving as General Manager of Sweethaus bakery for 3 years, where she was able to gain high-volume exposure to the booming wedding industry here in central Virginia. As a UVA graduate, she is well-versed in all things Charlottesville! Notorious for her solutions-oriented approach to running events, she is also known for her consistently positive attitude, meticulous attention to detail, and insistence on executing each event at the highest level of success. In her down time you can find her hiking with her dog Cooper, dancing to live music, gardening, or finding any reason to be outdoors.

Kristi Kruse, Catering Coordinator

Kristi has been catering with the Local through the 2016 season and as of 2017 has joined us in the full-time roll of Catering Event Coordinator. With her background as a CNA and previously pursuing an Associates Degree in Nursing, Kristi has a nurturing personality that puts her clients at ease during the planning process. Her knowledge in customer service gives her a great advantage when facilitating communication between clients, vendors and venues. When not working, Kristi enjoys crafting and working closely with the local SPCA by fostering dogs that are in transition to their forever homes.